Suction sweeper



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. E. HOQVER sUcTIoN swEEPER Filed Sept. 8, 1919 Feb. 19', 1924.l

H. E. HOOVER SUCTION SWEEPER Feb. 19 1924.

Filed Sept.` 8 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Feb. 19, 1924. l y 1,483,973

H. E. HOOVER SUCTION SWEEPER Filed Sept vE5, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fg. 9L.

Patented F eb. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES f 1,483,973 PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE HOOVER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

Application led September 8, 1919. Serial No. 322,307.

To all whom zt may concern:

Be it' known that I, HOWARD .EARL4 HOOVER, a citizen of theUni'ted States, re-

siding at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Suction Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined installed plant and motor driven brush apparatus for suction sweepers. Generally speaking, the object of this invention is to provide means whereby a motor driven car. pet agitating device and particularly a motor driven beating brush or a brushing and beating apparatus of any kind can be used in and with a nozzle while the suction apparatus associated therewith is placed at a distance, as for example, in a stationary plant in the basement of the building. In the preferred form of my invention, I use a device which has both a beating and a brushing eect and I drive it at a high rate of speed by means of a motor mounted on and associated with the brush nozzle A flexible conduit leads from the nozzle to the pipe or conduit which connects with the installed or stationary suction plant so that the nozzle can be moved freely about the room where the sweeping or cleaning is to be done. This exible conduit may connect directly with the nozzle body or to a handle or handle portion which is hollow and connected with the nozzle; the first is thepreferred form of this application.

In the preferred form of my device, the nozzle is provided with a relatively wide open mouth and this is preferably supported above the floor so that the carpet or floor covering will rise thereto and the mouth will be big enough to furnish a proper field of operation for the beater and the brush or the beating brush. In the preferred form the connection between the handle or liandle device is made as shown in front of the center of gravity of the machine and my Object in this is to keep the dirt from spill ing Out of the casing when the machine is lifted from the floor.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a pian view with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a side elevation;

Figure 3 is a detail.

v Figure is a diagrammatic illustration of an entire plant installation.

Like parts 'are indicated by like characters in "all the figures.

A is a movable suction head having along its front side a'n enlarged brushl chamber A5 having a downwardly open wide suction mouthA3 arranged to be held above the floor by the rollers A* adjacent the suction mouth, and the adjustable rollers A5 removed from the suction mouth, the arrangement is such that adjustment of the rollers A5 by rotating the entire suction head aboutthe rollers A* will change the height of the suction mouth or nozzle above the floor. A6 A6 are brush guard fingers extending across the open mouth to make 1t impossible for any rug or floor covering to be drawn up too far into the open mouth. The brush chamber A2 communicates toward the rear with an enlarged bifurcated suction chamber, the two arms of which communicate with the brush chamber adjacentl its two ends and are at the other end joined 1n a hose pipe connection sleeve A7. The arrangementis such that air may be drawn oft' through a pipe As communicating with the sleeve A", and because the cross section of the air passage as shown, decreases from -the nozzle or suction mouth rearwardly toin one unit t ough obviouslythe beating and sweeping devices might be separated. This brush is rotatably mounted upon a shaft B1 which shaft is anchored at either end in the housing. B2 B2 are thread guards surrounding the ends of the bearings to protect the bearings from fouling. B3 is a pulley on the brush, whereby the belt B* which is driven in turn by a pulley B5 may rotate the brush. B5 is a removable hanf] hole cover in the bottom of the head whereby access may be had to the pulley B5 for the purpose of adjusting the belt B5.

C is a motor enclosed within a casing as lndicated. It is located in the aperture through the head which is surrounded by and formed within the bifurcated suction chamber. The motor is suspended in this aperture by a bracket C1 integral with the motor housing adapteduto be screwed or riveted to the portable head as indicated. C2 C2 are bosses projecting from the forward end of the motor houslng and adapted to engage the wall of the aperture or pocket in which the motor is mounted, to prevent a direct contact between the "motor and such wall, thus leaving an air passage.

C3 is a motor shaft. lt is mounted for rotation in the bearing sleeve C, in the boss C5. The wall of the head C is apertured as at C'I so that the boss C5 may extend inwardly. CB is a thread guard screw-threaded on the bearing sleeve C4 in the form of a cup havin a perforated wall intermediate its ends. ir may enter fromthe space between the motor and housing wall through the annular space between the boss C5 and the wall of the aperture C" into the bottom of the cup, thence it may pass through the perforations in the wall in the cup to be discharged around the base of the pulley B5.

The air discharged about'the base of the pulley is guided by the cup thread guard in such wise as to tend to throw all dust and dirt particles and particularly, all fibrous particles, away from the danger zone surrounding the bearing. The cup itself, extending as it does, out perpendicularly to the line of flow of dust-laden air, affords a mechanical obstacle, and the cleaning air current coming out in an annular sheaf through the cup and about the base of the pulley effectually prevents any particles which might'be deflected, from finding their way into the space. between the pulley and the thread guard.

D is a handle by which the portable suction head may be manipulated. It is mounted at its lower end to a forked handle bail l)1 pivoted on the portable head at a pointin front of its center of gravity. D2 is handle bail stop, slotted as at D3 to engage a stop pin D4 lon the housing whereby the handle bail may be locked in the upright idle position shown in dotted lines, may be allowed to assume the low position shown in dotted lines for cleaning under furniture and the like, or may be held in the full line position free to have a slight angular movement as the hand of the operator swings back and `forth.

The hose pipe A8 has a collar E terminating in a pinoted eyelet El engaging a bracket E2 on the handle D. This bracket is serrated as at`Es so that the operator may move the eye El along and lock it in adjusted position. E4 is an electric conductor associated with the hose, preferably fastcned to it either outside or in, as the case may be. It leads lat one end to any suitable source of electric power, 'not shown, and at the other end, to plug E5 and switch l whereby the current is controlled to drive the motor C. The electrical connection be.

depating from the spirit of the invention.

are floors of the building in the basc-` ment of which is the suction creating apparatus J1, from which leads the pipe J. At each Hoor is'an outlet J3 which is Yconnected with the dust pipe As which leads to the cleaner head. The `suction creating de-I vice is here illustrated as in a fixed position but of course might be movable or in the same room as the cleaner head.

rllie use and operation of my invention are as follows Assuming the building to have been pro vided with the essential features of an installed suction sweeping plant, that is a suitable air pump or similar device in the basement of the building and a proper dust and refuse collecting device associated therewith and conduits terminating in outlets throughout the building where the sweeping is to be done, I finish'the plant by attaching my device thereto.

This device containing as it does abeating, a brushing or a combined beating and brushing device, driven at high speed so as to be effective is supported in such manner that 4it can be easily moved around over the Hoor or floor covering. If as in the preferred form,.the machine is provided with a wide nozzle and this nozzle is supported at anyv appreciable distance above the licor or fioor covering it would tend to raise thereto, guard fingers will of course prevent the floor covering from being drawn into the nozzle. The high speed beating or brushing device will raise or beat or brush the dust out of the carpet whereupon the moving current of air` will carry it away through the line of conduits to the dust receptacle in the basement. v,Since the dust is thus raised and the principal function of the moving current of vair is to carry away this dust when it has been removed or raised from the carpet, a much .lower vacuum is all that is required and a much wider nozzle mouth may be used. This results in an economy in the first cost and operation of the pumping plant ofv whatever nature it may be and also effects a much mo-re thorou gh cleaning of the carpet than by the passage of air alone and makes it much easier to move the nozzle over the Hoor.

The pump or pumping apparatus is preferably located in some definite position as in the basement of a building, but, of course, it may be itself movable and located in' the room where the sweeping is done. l speak of it as an installed plant and mean bythat such a pumping apparatus as is not mounted on or movable with the nozzle. Y

I have spoken of the use of the brush or beater or a combined brush and beating device. What I have in mind is some means y for agitating the carpet so as to raise the dust therefrom. This may be done by the highy speed brush to a certain extent or by a beater device or by a combination of the two but I prefer a brush of suchV a nature that it will both beat and brush and'that is the preferred form of my carpet agitating device. By the expression pumping plant, I mean, of course, any device wlnch will tend to draw air from the removable head to the dust receptacle.

An important advantage in this form of structure is that the assembled machine takes a minimum of head room. The brush chamber, the motor and the conduit are all in one and the same plane or in a zone substanti ally parallel with the Hoor. The conduit more or less encloses the motor. In the form shown it is a two-part conduit, though, of course, that is not a necessary feature of construction and one limb or branch of the conduit might be omitted. By the use of the word motor I mean, of course, any suitable apparatus which drives a brush. From another point of view, by the word motor I mean to refer to an apparatus which drives the brush independent of the speed of movement of the cleaner.

I have used the term installed plant and by that I wish to have it understood that I mean any device for moving the air current Which is separate from the cleaning tool and it may be located in any part of the building, as for example, the basement, and either in or outside of the room in which the cleaner tool is operated. t

One of the advantages of my invention is due to the fact that the cleaning tool is providedlwith a motor driven brush and does not have to make close contact with the object to be cleaned. This enables me to operate with a much lessened suction therefore, a much simpler and cheaper installed plant or suction member can be utilized. I conserve the advantages of the installed plant system and eliminate its disadvantages by having the cleaning tool mounted soy as to travel above the object to be cleaned and by using a high speed brush which has a beating action. With this arrangement, 'the installed plant suction system can be used with a machine which moves over the floor easily without abrading the floor covering. Thus I am enabled to associate the most easily moved type of suction cleaner tool with an installed suction plant.

I have used the expression agitating as applying to the brush-like device, but any device which beats or brushes or otherwise agitates, or both beats and brushes the Hoor covering, is intended to he included in the term agitating devices.

ly using a suction head'which is adapted to be moved over the licor hul above the surface of the object to be cleaned, and providing the same with a relatively wide and open inlet mouth, the object lo he cleaned can be drawn npto such mouth and held while the head is being moved over the floor in proper operative relation to the carpet agitating or sweeping and beating apparatus. The lifting of the carpet is effected by the action of the current of air. A low vacnum air moving device is required because otherwise the object to be cleaned would be drawn so tightly against the wide open nozzle inlet as to prevent vthe effective action of' the apparatus. As explained before the in stalled plant or air moving device associated therewith must. be of a relatively low vacuum producing power fol; otherwise the effective operation of the machine would be prevented. This also permits of the use of an air moving device of a relatively low U original cost and of relatively small requirement with respect to the cost of operation as compared with such installed )lants as have narrow nozzle openings or have an inlet mouth which is helddown against. the surface to be cleaned, and yparticularly where al1 the cleaning is to be accomplished `by the action of the current of air. l

It is the bringing together of the movable head to whose mouth the object to he. cleaned is lifted by the passing current of air into efiective relation with a separated air mover adapted to operate with a relatively low Vacuum which constitutesa great and important feature of' my invention. As compared with the familiar self-contained machines it differs in that the air mover or fan is dispensed with and this permits a much more effective and satisfactory arrangementv of the several parts rcn'iaining and as compared with the familiar installed plant apparatus it permits the use of a relatively cheap air mover and one whose operation is relatively inexpensive. It is the cooperation of these two parts which differ each from the prior art structures. amongst other things in the peculiarities just mentioned, which makes my apparatus in a sense a combination of the self-contained and the installed plant suction sweepers.

It will be understood, of course, that means such as guard fingers are employed where necessary to keep the object to be cleaned from coming up too far into the mouth and that the air moving device will be associated With proper means to separate the dust from the air.

The elimination of the fan permits the head to take a very flat orlow form so that it can be moved under articles of ,furniture and into recesses not otherwise'easily accessible to self-contained suction cleaners.

So far as the head proper is concerned' it consists of av casing havingan inlet nozzle preferably Wide open,l an agitator chamber preferably just above the Slot and one or more passageways leading from the chamber to the connection with the suction creating device, and preferably horizontal to the floor in combination with means for sup-HJ porxiug such casing so that the carpet can be lifted to the Opening or carpet agitator, in this ease a colnbined sweeping and beating brush mounted in the chamber and a motor to drive the same, said motor lying in substantially the same plane as the chamber, and passage referred to, so that the Whole head may lie exceedingly close o the floor. The head ispreferably enclosed between the two arms of the' passageway and thus it is brought into the same horizontal plane as the other parts. A

lI claim 1. A suction cleaner head comprising a casing having an inlet slot, and formed with a chamber connected with said slot, a conduit extending from the chamber in a directionl substantially parallel to t-he floor, means for movably supporting the head on the floor, a motor driven agitator in said chamber and an electric motor to drive the agitator mounted on the head in substantially the same horizontal plane -as the chamber and conduit.. i

2. A' suction cleaner head comprising a casing having an inlet slot, and formed with a chamber connected with said slot, conduits extending from the chamber in a direction substantially parallel to the floor,

means for movably supporting the head on the floor, an agitator in said chamber and a motor to drive the agitator mounted on i' y v- .d l the head between said passagewaysand substantially in-'the same plane as the chamber 45 and suchconduits, said'inotor mounted on a Dall of one ofA sald conduits, with its Ashaft pro'ecting through the Wall of said conduit, the motor spaced from the Wall of the conduit'l and the^t conduit having open- 50 ings leading from the space betvveen the lnotor and conduit intothe conduit about) the motor bearing.

A suction cleaner head comprising a casing with an inlet slot and formed yWith a chamber connecting with the slot and a conduit extending from the chamber and connected to a suction creating device, in combination with a motor mounted on the vcasing and conduit and spaced from them and having a shaft Wlnch passes through a wall of the conduit, said casing being pro-- vided with passages leading from the outside to the inside of the 4conduit around the bearing of the motor whereby air may be drawn past the bearing tO protect the same .l

from the dust laden air.y

4. A suct1on sweeper `comprlsing a casing having a nozzle and `a eondult, the conduit formed about a recess or opening and extending rearwardly therefrom, a motor located in said opening and secured to the casing, a carpet agitating device mounted on the nozzle, driving means from the motor to the agitating` device` the casing and mo- 75 tor lying in substantially the same horizontal plane and means for supporting them in that position on the floor. 4

In testimony whereof, I affix my .signature in the presence of two witnesses this l29th day of August 1919.

Witnesses:

MILDRED H. MAOKE, MINNIE M. LINDENAU.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER. 

